baumann



Jan- 3 i956 E. G. BAUMANN 2,728,969

CLASP Filed July 19, 1952 INVENTOR. E owA/PD G. 5A uMnA/f/ United States Patent 2,728,969 CLASP Edward G. Baumann, St. Petersburg, Fla. Application July 19, 1952, Serial No. 299871 z Claims. (ci. 24-260) l This invention relates to clasps. More particularly, the invention relates to a clasp or buckle for gripping a belt, strip or ribbon or one or more plies of a belt, strip or ribbon, to hold it in any desired position or length. v

As a part of wearing apparel, belts, straps, ribbon, elastic garters and the like are usedfwhich must be adjusted for length or clamped in a definite length or position. When the belt or ribbon-like articles are made of cloth or soft material, it is desirable that one or more plies of the material may be gripped or clamped in a desired position without making holes in the material or disiiguring the fabric.

It is very desirable, furthermore, that the ribbon-like strip may be put into the clasp or buckle easily to position it for clamping.

Women often wear particular types of jewelry with a dress of a deiinite color. When the color and/or style of the dress is changed, the type of jewelry is changed. Preferably the clasp and buckle will have an ornamental piece thereon. The clasp of the present invention permits the use of different emblems, seals, badges, images or the like device, which may be interchangeably attached to the clasp or buckle in accordance with the type of dress being worn.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a clasp which may be easily secured to a belt or ribbon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a buckle or clasp in which a plurality of plies of a belt or band may be easily mounted and clamped in a fixed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clasp or buckle which may be readily locked and released while in clamping position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the clasp or buckle as hereinafter illustrated and described and particularly dened in the appended claims.

The various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a belt having a clasp and a buckle of the present invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the clasp taken on the line II-II of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an inside plan view of the clasp in open position, ready to receive a belt or ribbon;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the opened clasp shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of the clasp as taken on the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an inside plan view of a buckle of the present invention showing the parts opened ready to receive a band or belt;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the buckle showing the clasp member closed and locked; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of the buckle taken on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 1.

lCe

The clasp of the present invention is illustrated in the drawings in two forms. In Fig. 1, one form consists of ay buckle 10 and the other form is a clasp 12. The buckle 10 is secured to the end of a belt, and the clasp 12 is attached to the belt by clamping two plies of the belt between the members of the clasp as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to Figs. l, 6, 7 and 8,- the buckle 10 consists of a base member 14 which is in the form of a channel having an upwardly-extending flange 16 at one side, with an inwardly-extending ledge longitudinally of the clamping member (Fig. 8) and to vthis slide s'connected a Vlatch member 30 which has a boss 32 projecting through a slot 34 in the hinged member 24, and into the slide 28. The boss is soldered or securely fastened in the slide, so that the latch 30 and slide 28 move together. Slide 28 has inwardly-turned anges 29 which engage the opposite edges of member 24 (Fig. 6). The slot 34 is considerably longer than the boss' 32, so that the slot acts to permit the sliding movement of the latch with reference to the hinge member 24. A face plate 36 is secured by soldering or welding to the slide 28, and upon the face plate is mounted an ornamental emblem or device 38 which is designed for decorative purposes. When the hinged member 24 is in closed position, the face plate, together with the slide 28, will be moved to the left (viewing Fig. 8) to bring the end of the latch 30 under the ledge 18 as illustrated in Fig. 7. When the hinged clamping member is locked to the base member, the plies of a band, belt or ribbonin the clasp will be clamped between the rib 26 and the latch 28, as illustrated in Fig. 2, to rmly grip the band or belt in order to maintain a predetermined length of the belt or band, and to lock the latch on the band or belt.

The clasp 12 has substantially the same construction as the buckle 10, with the exception that the buckle has a loop 40 extending along one side thereof (Fig. 6), to which a belt or ribbon may be attached, whereas the latch has no loop. Furthermore, the face plate 36 of the latch is preferably smaller than the face plate of the buckle, and the ornamental emblem or design 38 and face plate 36 are detachably secured to the slide 28. The various parts of the latch 12 have the same arrangement and construction as the buckle 1t), and have been designated by the same numerals.

In Figs. 4 and 5, however, are illustrated the detachable mounting of the face plate 36 on the slide 28. This mounting consists of a clamp 42 secured to the bottom of the plate 36, and having a downwardly-extending ange 44 arranged to engage one side of the Slide 28. The other side of the clamp 42 has a spring flange 46 which is arranged to engage the other side of the slide 28. The clamping member 42 holds the face plate on the slide by a frictional grip with the slide. The invention contemplates that a series of ditferent face plates having different ornamental designs on one side and a clamping member 42 on the back side may be used interchangeably on the clasp, whereby different designs o f clasps may be used with different dresses, when using the clasp and a belt or ribbon in conjunction with the dress.

The interchangeable feature of decorative ornaments has not been illustrated with reference to the buckle, but

it can be understood that different designs mounted on the faceplate. 36 may be used in. conjunction with the buckle in the same way asllustrated with reference to the clasp 12.

yIt will; be noted that when the clamping'plate is open, as Villustrated in Fig. 4, one or more plies of the belt may be readily placed in the base member, and then the clamping member may be movedl into position over the base and locked on the belt.r -The clasp and. buckle do not require the piercing of any parts into the belt, so that it is not disigured when the buckle or clamp is locked in position on the belt. The clamping member 24 may be locked to the base member by a small shifting movement of the face plate with reference to the base. When the belt is gripped by the clamping member, it will be held in locked position by friction. Furthermore, the buckle or clasp may be mounted on the belt so that the shifting movement of the face plate to lock the base member will be ina downward direction, so that friction will be assisted by gravity in maintaining the clasp or buckle in locked position.

The preferred form of the invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new is:

l. A belt or ribbon clasp comprising a channel-shaped member with upwardly-extending anges at each side of the channel, an inwardly-turned ledge at the top of one ange, a clamping member hinged to the top of the other flange, said clamping member extending from the hinge to.the.ledge, aA slot in saidV clamping member extending normally to the anges, a latch slidably mounted on the bottom of the clamping member and movable into a position across the ribbon and below the ledge, a face plate mounted above the member and connected to the latch by a boss which extends through the slot in the member whereby a reciprocating motion of the face plate will move the latch into and out of engagement with the under side of the ledge.

2. The clasp dened in claim 1 in which ribs are fixed in the bottom of the channel and on the bottom of the latch to clamp the ribbon and lock the clasp when the clasp is closed in locking position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 527,231 Bailey Oct. 9, 1894 836,338 Patton Nov. 20, 1906 1,054,716 Sand Mar.,4, 1913 1,653,293 Kendall 2., Dee. 20, 1927 1,881,442 Fisher Oct. 11, 1932 2,121,231 Hartog ...t- June 21, 1938 2,227,665 Neulinger Ian. 7, 1941 2,352,147 Clark June-20, 1944 

